3 U.S. bishops applaud House for passing legislation supporting pregnant women

Three U.S. bishops who chair committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are applauding two pieces of legislation designed to support pregnant women through an array of resources, including continued access to higher education.

“We were grateful to see the U.S. House of Representatives pass the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act and the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act,” said Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre of Louisville, Ky., Bishop David M. O’Connell of Trenton, N.J., and Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, in a Jan. 23 joint statement.

The three prelates respectively chair the USCCB’s committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Catholic Education and Pro-Life Activities.

The Pregnant Students’ Rights Act, introduced in December by Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, in December, cleared the House in a 217-211 vote on Jan. 22. The legislation requires colleges and universities that participate in federal student aid programs to provide both prospective and current students with information on rights and resources for carrying a baby to term while enrolled.

The required information must include a list of community and campus resources, accommodations and information on filing a discrimination complaint regarding a student’s intention to carry a baby to term.

The act “is needed legislation that would simply ensure that colleges and universities at least provide information about the resources, services, rights, and accommodations available for pregnant and parenting students,” said the three bishops in their Jan. 23 statement.

Bishops O’Connell and Thomas had also sent a Jan. 22 letter to Congress urging approval of the act, saying that “society and too many colleges and universities can give the impression that having a baby while a student is not only a great challenge but an unsurmountable detriment to women’s lives.

“Young women who are pregnant may thus feel that they have to choose between their baby or their education and feel pressured to have an abortion,” wrote the two bishops in their letter. “Many college and university students are unaware of the support available to them if they are pregnant or parenting, and that support can make a difference.”

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on its own version of the bill in the coming week, said the USCCB in its Jan. 23 announcement of the three bishops’ joint statement.

The Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, introduced in early January by Rep. Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., passed the House 215-209 on Jan. 21. The act would allow states to use TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) funds for pregnancy centers that support protecting the life of the mother and her unborn child, and that offer services such as pregnancy testing, prenatal and pregnancy education, counseling, diapers, baby clothes and other material resources.

The legislation “would help ensure that key public resources are available to pregnancy help centers, which compassionately accompany women in need with baby supplies, childcare assistance, health and parenting information, career services, and more,” said the three bishops in their statement. “Amid great uncertainty and difficulty, such support can make a life-saving difference.”

They added that “building a culture of life requires helping mothers to be able to welcome their new children.

“Too often, however, expectant and vulnerable women are essentially told that they have to choose either their child or their future,” they wrote. “No one should have to make this ultimately false choice.”

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